I really admire Firefighters and Ambulance officers,particularly with the relentless way they have been working against the horrendous bush fires recently across the southern half of our huge country! Anyone who does work which helps to save lives is very high on my list of respected professions. I also really admire Vets and animal workers in all capacities.My own love of animals is so very great that I would own a huge property and use it for an animal refuge if I possibly could,
I believe that teachers are very under-rated these days as they have had so many rules introduced now which preclude common sense from their ability to do what is so necessary to teach our youngsters.They work much longer and harder hours than most people even have a clue about! I have to also include my son's profession of Chef,as one I admire,because in this age of allergies and other issues,they also need to learn so very much which we all take for granted as a given!

I really admire paramedics, some nurses, and some drs. (not drs. who just get into gp, wont move out of their leafy suburbs, wont spend anytime in rural areas, and just seem to write prescriptions or refer you on to their old college friend, or in other words, just make the cost of medicare more expensive for the govt.. I admire people who care for animals that need treatment/saving,loving and people who work with aged people (sadly, these are the jobs that are not paid well.
I also admire people whose 'careers' are bringing up their children in ways that mean more work than ipads,tv as babysitters,childcare at too early an age, unless a matter of $ survival) the pay is terrible, the work is damn hard, but hopefully really worthwhile in the end.

I agree with all those already mentioned but one that has always amazed me is astronauts and test pilots. Sure it would be amazing to see/experience what they see/experience, but having the courage to sit in something that is akin to an atomic bomb so that Human kind can learn and advance is truly inspirational. I don't think I could put my wife and daughter through that worry and I feel for those "astro-partners" who do have to go through it. But someone has to do it, I guess...